Gangster White Walls
by SantaCarlaSummer
Summary: There was something so addictive about Ace. The way he rubbed his chin, how soft his lips were, the way his arms looked with his sleeves rolled up. I may as well have been hooked on cigarettes. Going without him for too long made me sick, the smell of his cologne lingered on my clothes, and he sure did make me feel amazing. [ACE X OC]
1. Chapter 1

**January 3rd, 1959**

I stared absently into my reflection. The white painted wood amplified the sunlight in my bedroom and caused me to squint my eyes wearily. Everything seemed to be in slow motion that morning. My eyes were cloudy, unlike the sky, and goosebumps remained on my arms in the cold crisp air.

The sound of my mother and father's quiet bickering had drifted up the stairs and into my ears. I could hear my siblings scrambling to get ready. The sound of high-heeled shoes on the hardwood echoed in our house. Theslam of a door, coffee brewing, faint static on the television.

I exhaled deeply once I looked at the clock. The longer hand struck the six, which meant I would be given hell if I made the family late. I focused back on myself and shook myself out of the distant daydream.

Gently tugging at the curlers in my hair, few long black spirals decended down my back. I pinned the side pieces back, so no hair touched my suntanned face.

I curled my eyelashes and better defined the crease of my eyes and cheekbones. My lips parted slightly during this process and my thick eyebrows raised.

Being especially slow, I stood up and took long strides to my closet. My best dresses were reserved for Sunday services. According to my mother, we were supposed to look our best. Chruch was a place to make good first impressions.

Resting on a twisted metal hanger, was a blush pink dress. It was never worn outside of a chapel and it wasn't my favorite, but my mother resquested I wore it specifically.

It was our first Sunday in Castle Rock, Oregon, and I would not make a fool of our family by wearing anything less than satisfactory.

I pulled it over my head with a huff, and inhaled sharply once I felt the familiar tight fabric. I re-tied the white bow around my waist and paired it with a matching white cardigan and kitten heels. I was still young enough to get away with not wearing gloves.

My bedroom was still serene and quiet for a few anxious minutes. The sheer curtains fluttered in tthe slight breeze, and my comforter was tucked in perfectly in case of a surprise inspection.

My mother enjoyed picking my sister and I apart. My brother hardly got anything and was mostly left to being a boy, while my parent's daughters were treated like students. From sunrise til' sunset, I constantly heard my mother's complaints and orders.

"Sit straight, shoulders back."

"Always cross your legs, don't sit like a man."

"Smile and nod, don't speak your mind."

While I was raised like this and should be used to it, it was very sad that I didn't get a very fun childhood. I was sixteen years old and never went to a dance hall or had a rowdy un-organized slumber party.

My sister, Susanne, was a year older than me and didn't mind my mother's rules as much as I did. She was our mom's favorite and relished in it. She always put the fork on the correct side of the table and kept her hands in her lap.

My father was absent a lot of the time, he had a very fulfilling career and took week-long trips to busy cities across the states. My mother, being pregnant with the fourth baby, was on maternity leave and got to stay home full time - lucky for us.

When my father was present, he was actually pretty decent. He wasn't as heavily on our backs as our mom was, and sometimes he'd take me to the diner for a strawberry malt. Even the tiniest gesture made a difference and it was small things like that, that I remembered most about him.

I was awoken from my bitter thoughts by the sound of my mother tapping her foot on the floor. She gave me a sharp look and waited for me to scurry past her. Her arms crossed around her chest tightly and her eyebrows scrunched together. She wasn't showing much of her pregnancy, just a small curve. Her blue dress seemed to conceal it well enough.

She didn't bother saying anything as I walked past, chin up and shoulders back like I'd been taught. I didn't dare provoke her.

Once we were outside, I saw my siblings piled up in my dad's Cadillac. The navy blue paintjob shined obnoxiously in the sun. I hurriedly jumped in the car, next to Daniel, my brother.

Susanne shot me an exasperated look and I sighed to myself. Resting my head against the back of my seat, I drifted off into light-headed musing.

I was born into a rich family. Being raised with finanical security definitly had it's benefits, but with most things, it also had a downside. There was nothing wrong with having money. It garunteed that you would never have to struggle or work your fingers to the bone. But it also meant having a stuck-up family and constant teasing.

During our "family reunions", I was on wine duty. I think you can pretty much make an assumption in your head of what it was like. I wore the fancy burgandy dress and red lipstick and re-filled everyone's glasses. I'd make a run into the cellar and search for the aged bottles. The family would eat steak or lobster with gloves on, and make irrelevant conversation no one would remember when they got home.

During this time, I would have my mother breathing down my neck, making sure I polielty smiled at everyone and let men kiss the top of my hand without me pulling away. God forbid someone thought she didn't raise her children right, we might have to move to Mexico and change our identities.

A few days ago, my family picked up and moved from bustling New York City, to quiet Castle Rock. You might be wondering why anyone with a pretty penny would reside in a small town like this, but I don't understand, either.

Apperently, my parents wanted to settle somewhere cozy and family-friendly for the new baby. I wondered why they didn't do this when Susanne was born, instead of seventeen years later.

Castle Rock proved so far to be everything I thought it would be; boring and dead with only one grocery store. Plus, the grocery store was family-run organic produce that was farmed right here in Oregon.

I couldn't complain though, New York wasn't the greatest place ever, either.

It took us all of five minutes to pull into the parking lot of the Catholic church. Once I saw the tall white building and wooden cross, my heart dropped to my stomach. It was pretty small but you could tell almost everyone in town attended the service.

The bowl of holy water sat outside and I watched as several people dipped their fingers in it. Before my family even reached the door, we were stopped by another family. The couple had two children, one Susanne's age, and one younger than me. They were both dark haired and looked very similar. Scrawny, pale, with big brown eyes.

I wasn't paying attention as I wasn't interested in any of the small talk they were making. Susanne pinched my arm and I snapped my head up at her. She dragged me along inside the church.

Most of the pews were filled with people so boring looking. They all looked alike, with no striking features about them worth of remembering. My eyelids drooped as I finally sat down. I barely remembered to sit up and cross my legs.

A boy sat next to me from a different family. He looked at me every once in a while. I wanted to snarl at him, but kept a lid on my inherited anger issues.

During the whole service, I tried not to drift off into sleep or yawn. If I did, my mother would not hesitate to shout at me when we got home. Daniel could hardly keep still on the other side of me. He rubbed his eyes constantly and drummed his fingers on his lap. He was eight years old and more hyper than anyone I'd ever seen before.

Father John, (I had learned his name by briefly tuning in momentarily) finished the service off with a prayer. I bowed my head but didn't close my eyes. Instead, I looked at my feet with extreme distaste. I was so tired of wearing these stupid heels. I had the sudden urge to take them off and throw them at the stained glass windows.

Fortunatly, I didn't. I shook the priest's hand on the way out and made it into the fresh air. I stood in the family oval-shape and tried to keep myself sane while my parents talked to everyone. I thought church was a place for worship, not making connections around town. I cracked my knuckles when my mother was distracted and looked around the parking lot.

A boy a little older than me walked out of the chapel with his mother, I presume. He was also wearing his Sunday best. His mother smiled to passing folks but they didn't return it. The boy kept a scowl on his face as he walked beside the lady. He walked with an air of confidence that had me drawn to him instantly.

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes but reluctantly shoved them back in his pocket. He looked around and locked eyes with me for a second and climbed into an old Studebaker.

His eyes were an impressive shade of blue. Kind of like snow in a desert. Very stunning and perfect looking, but also mysterious in a way. His brows furrowed and he ran a hand through brassy blonde hair. I couldn't help but stare in awe. I wasn't quite sure why, but I found myself completely infactuated with this boy.

My mother cleared her throat which caught my attention. I swallowed the lump caught in mine and returned to the reality of my life.

"Don't you think James looks nice?" she repeated, ashamed of me already. I looked at James. He was the guy who kept looking at me during service. I tried to force a grin on my face but I can only imagine that it looked like I smelt something awful.

"Oh, yes. The blue makes his eyes stand out." James gave me a toothy smile and my mother seemed satisfied for now. I couldn't help but compare James's eyes to the other boy's. They weren't nearly as mesmerizing.

Since you two seem to be getting along so well, how about you two go on a date tomorrow night?" James's father suggested. My stomach flip-flopped with anxiety. We had known eachother for a few minutes and now I'm being forced on a date. I tried not to puke.

"Celeste would love that!" My mother criedwith joy, placing a gloved hand on my shoulder. I almost flinched in annoyance. Susanne gave me a look of sympathy. Even though she conformed to the rules more, she hated going on arranged dates as much as I did.

"Celeste is a beautiful name, it's truly great to meet you." James grabbed my hand and shook it gently. I gave another grim smile.

"Thank you. I'm excited to see more of you, James." It occured to me that I didn't even know his last name and I didn't really care. I was mortified that I had to go out with this dork. He was lanky and tall with greased back platinum hair. He had big teeth and boney fingers. That feeling of vomiting came back up to my throat.

I guess James came from money, too. His parents lived in the same part of Castle Rock as we did. I guess it was called "The View". I wondered to myself who thought it was special enough to name it that. I rolled my eyes.

At some point, we loaded back into our car and headed home. James's family was supposed to come over for dinner and I couldn't tell yow how many times I thought of running away.

The drive back home was full of my mother's excited giggles and plans for James's and I's future wedding. It got too much, too fast. I didn't want to end up exactly like my parents. I didn't want to marry someone or even date someone I had no chemistry with. Little did I know, James was just the start of this whole nightmare.

"Daddy, I'm going to puke." I said calmly. My father looked at me in the mirror and his eyes widened.

"What?" He asked loudly.

"Pull over!" I cried, clamping a hand over my mouth. My dad obeyed and I found myself leaning over in the weeds, baring up nothing but bile and whatever had been in my stomach the night before.


	2. Chapter 2

The cold, tight air of New York constricted my body. I pulled my red trenchcoat closer around me and took long, careful strides down the sidewalk. Tall buildings towered over me and the sound of cars honking filled my ears.

I exhaled deeply and a cloud of white smoke spilled from my lips. I looked up, light gray clouds filled the afternoon sky. I found our apartment quicker than I wanted to, but walked up the huge cemented steps, anyways. I wrapped my hand around the brass doorknob and pushed it in, revealing marble floors and maroon red rugs.

But this was not New York, this is Castle Rock.

I sat in a hard wooden desk, constantly crossing and un-crossing my legs. Mr Goodman stood at the chalkboard, point to equations with a yard stick. His monotone voice made my ears feel numb.

I fidgeted uncomfortably in my chair. The room felt too hot and my thick cardigan wasn't exactlymaking the situation better. I impatiently pulled my hair into a high ponytail, in effort to get it off my neck.

I stared out of the window in envy. It was sprinkling outside and snow covered the ground in a thin blanket. I never wanted to go outside more than I wanted to in that moment.

On my left side, James King was tapping his pencil on his desktop and snickering to his friends. They had been picking on some guy in the front row. He had dark tanned skin and heavily greased black hair. They tripped him on the way in, and they were now throwing rolled up balls of paper at the back of his head.

I continuously shot James daggers, none of which he noticed.

James saw me as soon as he walked in at the beginning of class and gave me a wolfish grin. I guess it was his mission to be my personal terrorist. He proceeded to have his friends sit around me in a big circle. They all thought it was very funny that I was "with" James, even if it was against my own will.

All of his friends came from the View and high-middle class families. They managed to keep up a bad boy image with their styled ducktails and varsity jackets. They had a "gang" called the "Dobermans", and basically picked on everyone that wasn't them.

"So excited for the rumble, man." One of them whispered, slapping James on the back, This caught my attentionn. I've only heard of rumbles in movies. I didn't think they were something people actually did.

"I know man, it's gonna be boss," James growled in a low voice.

My mind wandered and I began to think of what it would be like to fight. Two rows of huge tough guys with switchblades and leather jackets. I rubbed my knuckles in thought. DO they fight fairly or use weapons? It was all very new to me.

The bell for seventh period rung and the shrill ringing jumped around in my head. I stood up and smoothed out my swing skirt. Throwing my notebook in my shoulder bag, I drug my feet out into the hallways.

Once again, it was crowded with loud teenagers. I managed to squeeze myself through and make it to the end of the hall. My last class was US history. I was really looking forward to go home and collapse.

The classroom was starting to fill with kids, most of them sat and talking. Mr. Frey had his head down and his tie was in a rumpled ball on his desk. I dodged a paper airplane and found a seat next to the window.

My first day at Castle Rock High, home of the bears, was just as boring as I imagined it. I didn't really talk to anyone, unless you include James. I even sat alone in my car for lunch.

I sighed and wondered if it was going to be this way for the rest of the semester. I was really starting to miss my friends from New York.

The rest of the class stormed into the room and continued to be rowdy. Mr. Frey didn't even pick his head up. I wondered if I should be concered.

One last girl walked into class as the late bell rang. The room grew really quiet and some people threw sneers in her direction. She rolled her eyes and scanned the room for a seat. Her eyes landed on the last empty chair to my right.

She dropped her bag carelessly and leaned forward on her hand. Her curly blonde hair was pinned back and her blue eyes bore holes into the front of the room. A sterling silver cross hung from her pale neck on a chain.

I couldn't help myself and decided to talk to her.

"Are you alright?" She turned her head and looked at me. The corners of her lips curled into a small smile and she shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she sighed, "I'll feel better once this day is over."

I laughed and nodded in agreement.

"You're Celeste, right?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"How did you know?" I gave her a curious glance. Mr. Frey finally peered at the class, a look of nonchalance upon his wrinkled face.

"Everyone is talking about how you and James are going together."

My jaw dropped to the floor. I couldn't even process all of the thoughts going through my head. If I already had this reputation on the first day, I might be better off dropping out of school, like Susanne.

She laughed and shook her head.

"I knew it, you're way too pretty to be with James. Anyways, I'm Connie Palermo."

I shook her hand polietly. "Nice to meet you."

For the next twenty minutes, I made my first friend. Mr. Frey didn't really do anything all period, besides tell us to copy down the notes on the board. So, because we had so much free time, Connie and I talked about everything under the sun. Well, more like dreary, cloudy sky.

Connie Palermo is going steady with a cat named Billy Tessio. He was in a gang called the "Cobras", kind of like James's friends. A lot of people at Castle Rock High thought she was loose because she went out with Billy. They didn't like her beacuse she associated with the Cobras.

In New York we had gangs, but it wasn't something I was ever really familiar with. They were big dogs and dangerous and I didn't want anything to do with it. But now that I was in this small town, it seemed inevitable that I would be somehow involved.

Connie told me that there was a pretty bad rivalry between the Cobras and the Dobermans, and they were always going at it with eachother.

I had come to the conclusion that James King was a completely different person when he was in church, and when he was anywhere else. I guess he lived a double life. I briefly pondered what it would be like to act completely different behind my parents' backs.

Connie told me that her parents would slaughter her if they found out she was going with Billy Tessio. Her family was very involved with the church and would not have their daughter associated with the JDs of town.

I could tell she was kind of stressed about the whole topic of Billy. She seemed to like him a lot but was unsure of how it would work if they came from completely different worlds.

I had no advice to give her, despite how much I wanted to say something. I never had a real serious boyfriend in my life. Just meaningless dates that I pretended to have fun on.

I kind of wanted a boyfriend, though. From the movies, it looked like something so fun and interesting. Something to look forward to every day, a person you can't get enough of. I was a bit jealous of Connie because she got to experience that, even if there was some hardships.

I noticed the shiny silver band on her ring finger. I immediatly recognized it as a purity ring. My mother never made my sister and I wear one. I never realy thought of why, until that moment. Maybe, deep down, she just didn't care.

The last bell of the day rang. Connie and I excitedly exited the classroom, skipping happily down the halls, in a rush to get to fresh air.

"You know, you're a real cool gal, even if you are from the View." Connie gave me a toothy smile.

I laughed a little, I still wasn't sure if I should've been offended or not. Was being from the View really a bad thing?

"We should hang out soon," I suggested. She noddded in response.

"I'll give you a ring this weekend. We could go to the drive-in or a party or something."

Chills ran through my veins once we stepped outside. I couldn't tell if it ws from the chilly breeze or from the thought of going to an actual party. But looking back, it was definitly from seeing that boy from church again.

He was leaning against an old '52 Ford. He was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans with the cuffs rolled up. A cigarette hung lazily from his mouth while he talked to another dark-haired boy in a vest.

Again, I was captivated.

"Who's that?" I asked, trying not to point. Connie squinted her eyes and then a smirk crept up on her lips.

"That's Ace, Billy's friend. Why? You think he's cute?" She giggled, nudging me in the arm with her elbow.

I shook her off, trying to hide the pink that colored my cheeks.

"No! I've just seen him before, that's all," I brushed a few fallen strands of hair out of my face. Connie grabbed my wrist and started to drag me forward.

My eyes widened in surprise as I tried to yank back my hand. I dug my heels into the snow but the strength that Connie possessed kept me moving. My stomach flew up to my neck when I realized the direction we were headed.

"Connie, I have to get home!" I said, trying to make up an excuse to flee the upcoming awkward situation. She ignored my pleas, and continued.

We approached the boys rather fast and I stood there with a flushed face and lack of confidence. Connie finally dropped my arm and it swung down and connected with the fabric of my skirt.

"Hey, Ace, have you seen Billy?" Ace and the other boy didn't seem to notice me, instead, they looked at the school building.

"Not yet, the bastard should be around here somewhere," he drawled. His voice was deep and slow, full of caution. He re-directed his attention to Connie and took another puff of his cigarette.

He finally took a glance at me, his face remained expressionless.

"This James's broad?" Ace asked, a cruel smile floating on his lips. The air suddenly felt a lot colder. I crossed my arms insecurely and tried to formulate something to say. I felt lost.

"No," was all I could come up with. Thankfully, Connie came to my defense.

"She's not, alright? Who would torture themselves like that?" She snapped, rolling her eyes.

Smoke poured from Ace's nose as he looked me up and down. He scoffed.

"Tell James that Ace said he's gonna get his ass handed to him." He dropped his cigarette and stomped it out. "He's not even gonna wanna show his face after we're done with him."

I was at a loss for words. The boy I thought was so interesting turned out to be a total jackass. He left a sour taste in my mouth and made my blood boil. I crossed my arms tighter, trying to ignore the electricity coarsing in my body. He didn't look at me after that, he focused on his friends walking out of school.

I turned and started walking to my car. Connie must have found Billy because she disappeared.

I sighed as I walked down the wet pavement. The parking lot was starting to clear out so my Bel Air was clear in my line of vision. Little droplets of water scattered on the baby blue paint. The beige ragtop protected the white interior.

I climbed in and shoved the keys in the ignition, starting the heater as soon as possible. I rested my head against the steering wheel, trying to collect all of my thoughts.


End file.
